


Cauldron

by misbehavingvigilante



Series: Marvel Spookytober Prompts 2019 [27]
Category: Avengers Academy (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Cat Tony Stark, Familiars, Insecurity, M/M, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Tony Stark's Gauntlet is a Prosthesis, Witches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-28
Updated: 2019-10-28
Packaged: 2021-01-05 11:30:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21207812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misbehavingvigilante/pseuds/misbehavingvigilante
Summary: A lot of people made the mistake of thinking that Steve had weak magic because he had a weak body, which in truth he actually had rather strong magic. In a matter of speaking that had pushed Steve towards having a familiar





	Cauldron

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hollyandvice (hiasobi_writes)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hiasobi_writes/gifts), [MountainRose](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MountainRose/gifts), [Serenity514](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Serenity514/gifts).

>   
[{Join me for the spook}](https://marvelspookytoberprompts.tumblr.com/post/188006745165/click-to-see-a-better-quality-of-the-prompts)  

> 
> There was a spoop party in the server and thus this. 
> 
> Day 27 - Cauldron

A lot of people made the mistake of thinking that Steve had weak magic because he had a weak body, which in truth he actually had rather strong magic. In a matter of speaking that had pushed Steve towards having a familiar. Not all witches needed them or even used their services, when done properly it was a mutual relationship. A bond was struck that would bind the duo, well not always a duo, but most often, and the witch would gift the familiar of some of their magic, and the familiar would gift the witch their presence.

Familiars helped stabilize magic, they didn’t have too much of their own, but they did have the traits of animals, but not always, but always something Other than just magic to assist them in the world. But the tradition of familiars and witches pairing together was one that dated back centuries.

For errant witches, familiar could reign them in, but for those like Steve that burst with magic, it was a way to split some of that excessive magical energy and not be so overwhelmed by it all the time. Aside from their ability to stabilize magic, familiars improved the rates of spells and rituals with presence, but sometimes by bond alone if it was strong enough.

All in all, it was an equal trade, familiars got more magic at their disposal since some spells, some rituals were impossible to do with little magic or just unwise, and witches got stability in self and in spells.

Steve had been a little young, really, it was left mostly to the domain of adults simply because while the bonds were something you could break, it was simply easier to prevent unnecessary ones or ones you might regret by not doing them. A great bulk of the ones who regretted such were those who were young, though special considerations had to be taken if it was necessary for an underage pair of familiar and witch to bond.

Steve’s magic presented a threat if left unchecked, so there hadn’t been a problem on his end. The problem he had anticipated would have been on Tony’s end, as he was from a prominent family, and the sole remaining heir that it made sense more attention would be paid to who might end up pairing with him.

However, Tony had been a bit of an oddity in his own community, to start off even for a familiar his magic had been relatively weak which happened sometimes, and on its own wasn’t quite enough to make it so Tony would never pair with a witch. But it was also the fact that Tony preferred science to magic, not that he had outright hated magic, though Tony had said magic clearly had it out for him by gifting him so little magic and sending him into the sweet, sweet arms of technology to paraphrase.

Even after losing half of his arm due to an experiment gone wrong, it had only served to push Tony more and more towards science, particularly technology which ironically enough had been how they had met, through Bucky who had made friends with Tony first.

Bucky had problems maintaining his own magical prosthesis due to the exact nature of how he had lost his arm, it meant magic in that entire area was just different to weave, and always prone to failures. That and Bucky hadn’t even know if he wanted a familiar to bond with, let alone to do it solely because of his arm.

Steve had grown up on tales of bonds and even when he’d been sick in bed as a child, he had wanted one of his own, yet he had doubted that anyone might pair with him. Too distracted by his weak body that even his strong magic wouldn’t be enough.

But then Tony and he had really hit it off, and one thing had let to another, and then suddenly they were still in their teens bonded to one another.

As the cauldron he had been brewing a potion in needing watching, it left Steve alone to his thoughts. The bond was like background noise, it still sparked of newness, but didn’t show any signs of still settling in despite how it had been scant days since. After bonding, it wasn’t as if you had to spend time in each other’s company.

You were never physically glued to someone’s side, though there were perks to proximity that it was a good idea to not stray too far. New bonds were cautioned against extreme distances, as that could be seen as grounds to reject the bond when so far away. Once enough time had passed, there was no such restrictions but it really wasn’t like Tony or Steve could really go that far away each other with their current means as it was.

They were both still in school together. Steve had been wondering how this might impact their college plans, by then it’d be more than safe enough to leave, but on the other hand, Steve was wary, if Tony left, would he come back?

A meow took him out of his thoughts as he saw Tony in his cat form on the countertop, always noticeable by the red and gold gauntlet on one of his legs. Tony pushed a small bottle of sparkling liquid contained by a cork near him. Steve felt the bottleneck still wet with Tony’s saliva but he hadn’t minded as he added it into the cauldron without thinking about it.

Tony wasn’t wrong in thinking that it would make his potion better, if only from an aesthetic point of view.

“Thanks.” Steve remarked grateful. He hadn’t even asked but Tony had brought it anyways.

Tony shifted, casually sitting on the countertop even though Fury had told him again and again not to do that since that’s where they held the mini cauldrons for student’s spellwork and Tony could get easily splashed by errant magic.

Not that Steve would ever let it happen, but he and Tony didn’t have every class together.

“Yeah, yeah, you keep sending sadness through our bond, Steve. So I figured this could pretty up your potion at least. I mean, I get that presentation is part of the grade, but I really don’t think you’re going to do so badly on it.”

Ah, yes, there was some emotional feedback through the bond, but it was very vague, so Tony had wrongly assumed what it was, instead of what it actually was.

Steve wasn’t sure if he was relieved or not by that.

“I’m always happy for your help, though.” He smiled, he did feel better by Tony seeking him out on his own accord.

“I mean, you help me too.” Tony pointed out. “Your extra magic helps since magic is a vengeful bitch that looked at me and went nope, not you, you only get a drop, and then you get ALL the magic, so we’re a perfect match.”

Steve flushed, it wasn’t like Tony meant it like that…

“Yes, Steve, I do mean it like that.” Tony sounded far more serious than he typically did.

“Wh-“

“It was totally all over your face.” Tony explained, looking rather at ease despite the fact he had basically just confessed. “And you know I don’t care for mindreading magics. I like only my own thoughts in my head, thank you. As nice and lovely as your voice is, I prefer to hear it like this rather than in my head.”

“That’s fine. That’s completely fine. You’re not-“ Steve breathed out, a little too nervous now with the ramifications of what this all meant.

“Lying?” Tony titled his head. “That seems like a really shitty thing to do. I mean, I wouldn’t do that to you. To the teachers? Oh yeah, of course, I totally did that homework, I totally didn’t break curfew and all that jazz.”

That gave Steve an idea, even if he knew that’s not how Tony meant. “Would like to go dancing sometime?”

“Can we get food too?” Tony asked, looking at Steve and Steve could literally see the images of food over Tony’s head as he licked his lips. “I like food.”

“Dinner and dancing, sure.”

“Then it’s a date.” 

**Author's Note:**

> If you wanna chat, I'm on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/thiefoftruth26).


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